It is generally known that nutrient rich waters lie in the ocean depths below the photic zone while great areas of the oceans are essentially marine deserts lacking in sea life. Thus, the nutrient potential is present but the nutrient rich cold water that lies well below the photic zone depth is normally unavailable to the sea life which thrives upon the effect of sunlight. The photic zone is that layer of water which extends to an approximate depth of several hundred feet and within which there is sufficient sunlight to support sea life processes. The nutrient rich zone is that body of water which lies from 500-1200 feet and below and within which there is contained the nutrient substances, both organic and inorganic, for the growth of sea life. It is known that certain ocean currents, such as the Peru current encountering the West Coast of South America, have a transferring effect by which nutrient rich waters from the depths of the oceans are raised into the photic zone and with the result that sea life flourishes there. It is also known that the intense sunlight of the tropics is conducive to prolific sea life, and that this effect is retarded by nutrient depletion of those photic zone waters. Generally, the cold and frigid oceans of the world are abundant in sea life such as planktonic krill, and the like, so necessary to the food chain from which the yield of marine protein is derived. Therefore, it is a general object of this invention to develop the potentially fruitful growth areas of the oceans which are naturally lacking in nutrient within the photic zone depths, by transferring nutrient rich waters from the colder depths having known high nutrient values.
Fertility of the marine environment is increased when nutrient rich waters are available, and it is known that there is a vast supply of these nutrient rich waters at submarine levels of approximately 1200 feet and deeper, as evidenced by samples taken from the various depths and from trenches of the oceans. However, the normal tides and currents are surface oriented and move horizontally or circumferentially over the earth, with but few geological inducements to create vertical currents that transfer waters from the depths. Thermal convection has little or no effect on displacement of the photic zone waters by abyssal waters, and vertical mass movement of waters as a result of sunlight and radiant heat is negligible. However, natural forces are available to cause the transfer of abyssal waters toward the surface of the oceans, and it is to this end that it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus to harness natural phenomenon to the work of transferring abyssal waters upwardly and thereby replace the waters of the photic zone.
There are areas of the oceans which are characterized by vast photic zones, underlying which there are far more vast, by volume, abyssal and nutrient rich waters. It has been calculated that 72% of the earth's surface is covered by water and that the average depth of the oceans is five times greater than the average height of the lands which is only about 760m. (2500 feet). Therefore, the nutrient potential of abyssal waters is tremendous and heretofore unavailable to the growth of sea life, it being an object of this invention to utilize these nutrient rich waters in marine farms which comprise select areas of the oceans otherwise lacking in sea life due to the absence of sufficient nutrients in the photic zones that naturally support the life processes.
The tides and currents as caused by gravitational and wind effects are not sufficient in themselves to cause the required mass displacement and transfer of abyssal waters into the photic zone, there being vast unbounded areas of ocean presently unproductive and adapted to be farmed. It is an object therefore, to provide means whereby the cold abyssal nutrient rich waters are transferred in mass by induced currents therein which rise upwardly to replace waters of the photic zone. The transfer is subtle and continuous, utilizing hydraulics to actuate lift means imparting vertical momentum to the abyssal waters and forcing them to rise and thereby flood in omni directions into the photic zone where sea life is promoted thereby with the penetration of sunlight. In practice, the pressured flow of supplement waters is contemplated to actuate the lift means; supplement waters being available from adjoining land masses as outfall, processed and/or unprocessed. Supplemental waters are available from inland reservoirs under a head of pressure to be used directly, or as effluent from processing plants, and introduced by said lift means at a higher temperature than said abyssal waters and/or aerated, and all of which is conducive to imparting vertical momentum through any one or all of the phenomenon of velocity, heat convection and displacement.
It is an object to provide apparatus for carrying out the nutrient water transfer hereinabove described, and specifically the provision of lift means by which nutrient rich abyssal waters rise to replace the waters previously occupying the overlying photic zone. The energy employed is naturally available by wave-wind motion employed to implement hydraulic means to lift said abyssal waters.